Providing information through tactile feedback

ABSTRACT

A mobile electronic device includes a housing; a processor; and an interactive display mounted within the housing and communicably coupled to the processor. The display has a tactile interface operable to receive contact from a user and, in response to the contact, provide a perceived first texture of a first portion of the display that is different than a perceived second texture of a second portion of the display. A user-selectable content item is displayed on the second portion of the display that when selected by the user, modifies a content being displayed on the display. The first portion of the display forms a perimeter boundary about the second portion of the display.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to providing information through a graphicaluser interface with tactile feedback.

BACKGROUND

As technology evolves, advertisers have found an increasing number oftechniques for providing information to potential customers. Forexample, while print and television advertising techniques might haveonce consumed the majority of ad space and ad formats, online andinteractive advertising techniques are now becoming more commonplace.This increase in the number of available ad space and ad formats hasoccurred alongside innovations in display technologies, such astouchscreens and other technologies that provide a more interactiveexperience for a user. In some instances, these interactive displays mayutilize the sensation of touch (e.g., a tactile interface and/orfeedback) to communicate information. The tactile interface maycommunicate an additional dimension (or dimensions) of information tothe user, beyond, for example, a conventional two-dimensional display.Further, such a tactile interface may assist the visually impaired bycommunicating information normally conveyed through optical techniquesthrough the added dimension or dimensions.

SUMMARY

In one general embodiment, a mobile electronic device includes ahousing; one or more processors; memory communicably coupled to at leastone of the processors; an interactive display mounted within the housingand communicably coupled to at least one of the processors, the displayhaving a tactile interface operable to receive contact from a user ofthe display, the tactile interface further operable to provide aperceived first texture of the display that is different than aperceived second texture of the display; and instructions stored in thememory, that when executed on at least one of the processors, cause: auser-selectable content item to be displayed on the display that whenselected by the user modifies a content being displayed on the display;the perceived first texture to be provided by the tactile interface toat least a first portion of the display when the user contacts the firstportion of the display; and the perceived second texture to be providedby the tactile interface to at least a second portion of the displaywhen the user contacts the second portion of the display, the secondportion of the display forming a perimeter boundary about theuser-selectable content item and between the user-selectable contentitem and the first portion of the display.

In a first aspect combinable with the general embodiment, theinteractive display further provides a perceived third texture of athird portion of the display that surrounds the first portion of thedisplay and wherein the perceived third texture is different than theperceived first texture.

In a second aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theperceived first texture is raised from the tactile interface of thedisplay as compared to the perceived third texture and the perceivedsecond texture.

In a third aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, at leastone of the user-selectable content item displayed on the second portionand a user-selectable content item displayed on the third portionincludes an advertisement.

In a fourth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, thesecond portion of the display includes a first sub-portion and a secondsub-portion, and the second texture includes at least two distinctperceived textures separately corresponding to the first and secondsub-portions.

In a fifth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theuser-selectable content item includes first and second user-selectablecontent items displayed in the corresponding first and secondsub-portions, the first and second user-selectable content itemsincluding results of an online search initiated by the user.

In a sixth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, the firstuser-selectable content item includes a higher-ranked search resultrelative to the second user-selectable content item, and the perceivedtexture of the first sub-portion is raised from the tactile interface ofthe display as compared to the perceived texture of the secondsub-portion.

In a seventh aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, thefirst sub-portion appears to at least partially obscure the secondsub-portion within the second portion of the display.

In an eighth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, thetactile interface is further operable to receive contact from the userto expose the obscured part of the second sub-portion from the firstsub-portion.

In a ninth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theperceived second texture of the second portion of the display isindicative of an expected texture of a physical object represented bythe user-selectable content item.

In a tenth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theexpected texture of the physical object represented by theuser-selectable content item includes a liquid and the perceived secondtexture of the second portion of the display is a wetted texture.

In an eleventh aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theexpected texture of the physical object represented by theuser-selectable content item includes a gas and the perceived secondtexture of the second portion of the display is a bubbly texture.

In a twelfth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theexpected texture of the physical object represented by theuser-selectable content item includes a granular material and theperceived second texture of the second portion of the display is agritty texture.

In another general embodiment, a computer-implemented method foroperating a touchscreen interactive display of a mobile device, thedisplay having a tactile interface operable to receive contact from auser of the display and operable to provide a plurality of textures tothe user, and including: presenting a user-selectable content item inthe touchscreen interactive display; providing a perceived first textureby the tactile interface to at least a first portion of the display whenthe user contacts the first portion of the display; and providing aperceived second texture, different from the perceived first texture, bythe tactile interface to at least a second portion of the display whenthe user contacts the second portion of the display, the second portionof the display forming a perimeter boundary about the user-selectablecontent item and located between the user-selectable content item andthe first portion of the display.

In a first aspect combinable with this general embodiment, the methodfurther includes receiving contact from the user on the user-selectablecontent item in the first portion of the tactile interface; andretrieving additional content related to the user-selectable contentitem based on the contact.

In a second aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, themethod further includes receiving contact from the user on the secondportion of the tactile interface; and in response to the contact fromthe user on the second portion of the tactile interface, not retrievingadditional content.

In a third aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, themethod further includes providing a third portion of the tactileinterface having a third perceived texture that surrounds the secondportion of the tactile interface, the perceived third texture differentthan the perceived second texture.

In a fourth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theperceived second texture is raised from the tactile interface of thedisplay as compared to the perceived third texture and the perceivedfirst texture.

In a fifth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theuser-selectable content item includes an advertisement.

In a sixth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, themethod further includes providing a first sub-portion and a secondsub-portion in the first portion of the tactile interface, wherein thefirst perceived texture includes at least two distinct perceivedtextures separately corresponding to the first and second sub-portions.

In a seventh aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theuser-selectable content item includes first and second user-selectablecontent items displayed in the corresponding first and secondsub-portions, the first and second user-selectable content itemsincluding results from an online search initiated by the user.

In an eighth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, thefirst user-selectable content item includes a higher-ranked searchresult relative to the second user-selectable content item, and theperceived texture of the first sub-portion is raised from the tactileinterface of the display as compared to the perceived texture of thesecond sub-portion.

In a ninth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, themethod further includes at least partially obscuring the secondsub-portion within the second portion of the display.

In a tenth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, themethod further includes receiving contact from the user to expose thecovered part of the second sub-portion from the first sub-portion; andexposing the obscured part of the second sub-portion from the firstsub-portion.

In an eleventh aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theperceived second texture of the second portion of the display isindicative of an expected texture of a physical object represented bythe user-selectable content item.

In a twelfth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theexpected texture of the physical object represented by theuser-selectable content item includes a liquid and the perceived secondtexture of the second portion of the display is a wetted texture.

In a thirteenth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theexpected texture of the physical object represented by theuser-selectable content item includes a gas and the perceived secondtexture of the second portion of the display is a bubbly texture.

In a fourteenth aspect combinable with any of the previous aspects, theexpected texture of the physical object represented by theuser-selectable content item includes a granular material and theperceived second texture of the second portion of the display is agritty texture.

Various implementations of a computing device having a tactile interfacesystem according to the present disclosure may include one or moreadvantages. For instance, the tactile interface system may provide anadditional dimension to an ad space and/or ad format on a mobile deviceor other computing appliance. For instance, the tactile interface systemmay add a dimension of “feel” or sensation to an otherwisetwo-dimensional ad. The tactile interface system may add the additionaldimension to more prominently feature a particular content, such as, forexample, a particular ad or particular portion of an ad or group of ads.The tactile interface system may also help combat ad blindness, whichmay arise as traditional advertising, when particular content of an adis effectively hidden and/or ignored. The tactile interface system mayalso assist the visually impaired by adding a dimension to aconventional online or mobile ad to communicate relevant advertising orsearch result information. For instance, the tactile interface systemmay add the additional dimension (e.g., a particular feel or sensation)to an ad or search result based on the ad content, ad relevance, orother criteria. The tactile interface system may provide fordiscriminating regions on the interface, such as different sensationsfor different ads or search results.

Further advantages of a tactile interface system according to thepresent disclosure may include adding an additional dimension to atleast a portion of the interface to distinguish between selectableregions of the display (i.e., hot spots) and unselectable regions (i.e.,dead spots) of the display. For example, the tactile interface systemmay “warn” the user of such hot spots through the added dimension, so asto avoid (or at least reduce) inadvertent selecting of hot spots. Forexample, if the tactile interface system is part of a mobile electronicdevice, a touchscreen on the device may be relatively small compared toan average user's fingertip. As such, a hot spot on the touchscreen maybe inadvertently selected by a touch of the user's fingertip, suddenlyredirecting the user to a new web page (for example), much to theannoyance of the user. Providing a warning area about the hot spot canhelp the user to avoid accidently touching the hot spot when the user istouching the touchscreen to view the contents shown on the screen.

The tactile interface system may also add two dimensions to one or moreportions of the interface display, such as a sensation dimension and a“depth” dimension. In some instance, the depth dimension may be providedto the user through stacked and/or tiered portions with differentsensation dimensions. The stacked portions thus may appear to the userto “hover” above other portions of the display, as well as adjacenttiers within the stack. A relative position of one or more tiers of thestack may be determined, for example, by the relative importance and/orrelevance of the content of the tiers within the overall stack.

Further advantages of a tactile interface system according to thepresent disclosure may also include tying content displayed on aparticular portion of the interface with the added dimension ofsensation. For instance, the tactile interface system may tailor thesensation to the content such that the user experiences an expected feelof the content through the interface. One example may be an expected“gritty” feel for content including an ad for a beach resort. As anotherexample, a tactile interface system may be used as a method to specifycustomizations of a user interface so that the user may interact withthe device based on touch. For example, a unique hot spot on theinterface may be generated to bring up a search feature on a mobiledevice so that the user does not need to visually concentrate on thedisplay.

These general and specific aspects may be implemented using a device,system or method, or any combinations of devices, systems, or methods.The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description anddrawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example architecture for a computing systemincluding a computing device with a tactile interface according to thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate example embodiments of a computing device with atactile interface according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method for using a computing device with atactile interface according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile electronicdevice may include an interactive display mounted within a housing thatincludes a tactile interface. The tactile interface, in operation,receives contact from a user of the device (e.g., through fingertipcontact or otherwise) and, in response to the contact, may provide aperceived texture or tactile sensation to the user. The device providesuser-selectable content regions to the user on the tactile interface. Atleast a portion of the user-selectable content has a particular tactilesensation and is surrounded by another portion of the tactile interfacewith another particular tactile interface.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example architecture for a computing system 100including a computing device 105 with a tactile interface 110. Ingeneral, the system 100 includes the computing device 105 (e.g., amobile device such as a smart phone) with a tactile interface 110, wherethe tactile interface 110 can be used as a user interface for thecomputing device 105. A number of components within the computing device105 provide for user interaction with the computing device 105. Forpurposes of clarity, FIG. 1 shows certain example components of thecomputing device 105. While the computing device 105 is illustrated hereas a mobile communication device, i.e., a smart phone, alternativeembodiments of the system 100 may include computing devices such as cellphones, laptops, or other computing appliances. Each of the computingdevices communicably coupled to the system 100 may include a tactileinterface such as the tactile interface 110 illustrated in FIG. 1.

The tactile interface 110, in some embodiments, may be a touchscreenthat provides a tactile or haptic response to the user upon contactbetween the skin of the user (e.g., a fingertip) and the interface 110.The tactile interface 110 may provide the user with a sense of touch,i.e., a combination of sensations evoked by stimulating the skin. Insome cases, the tactile interface 110 may communicate information to theuser through such sensations, such as through perceived textures andperceived tiny surface variations of the interface 110. As explainedmore fully below, such sensations may be generated by a tactileinterface engine 165.

The computing device 105 can communicate with server 115 through anetwork 120 using a wireless interface 125. The network 120 can be theinternet or a cellular network. For example, the computing device 105can direct telephone calls through a telephone network or through a datanetwork using voice over internet protocol (VOIP). In addition, thecomputing device 105 can transmit other forms of data over the internet,for example, data in the form of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)requests that are directed at particular web sites. The computing device105 may receive responses, for example, in forms that can include butare not limited to mark-up code for generating web pages, media files,and electronic messages.

A number of components running on one or more processors included in thecomputing device 105 enable a user to interact with the tactileinterface 110 to provide input and to receive visual output. Forexample, an interface manager 150 can manage interaction with thetactile interface 110, and includes a display manager 155 and an inputmanager 160.

The display manager 155 can manage the information displayed to a userusing the tactile interface 110. For example, an operating systemrunning on the computing device 105 can use the display manager 155 toarbitrate access to the tactile interface 110 for a number ofapplications 145 running on the computing device 105. For example, thecomputing device 105 can display a number of applications, each in itsown window on the tactile interface 110, and the display manager 155 cancontrol what portions of each application are shown on the tactileinterface 110. In another example, the display manager 155 can controlthe displaying of a virtual artifact.

The input manager 160 can control the handling of data received from auser using the tactile interface 110 or other input mechanisms. Forexample, the input manager 160 can coordinate with the display manager155 to identify where, on the tactile interface 110, a user is enteringinformation so that the computing device 105 can determine the contextof the input. In addition, the input manager 160 may determine whichapplication or applications should be provided with the input. Forexample, input to the computing device 105 using the tactile interface110 can be a user placing their finger on the touchscreen display whilemanipulating the computing device 105. The area of the computing device105 touched by the user's finger can determine which of the applications145 the computing device 105 launches and runs.

The computing device 105 can provide visual, haptic and audio feedbackas the user manipulates the tactile interface 110, through, for examplecontact between the user (e.g., through one or more fingers) and theinterface 110. The computing device 105 can provide visual feedbackusing the display manager 155 to display a virtual artifact (e.g., webpage, electronic message, application or GUI, or other artifact) on thetactile interface 110. The computing device 105 can provide audiofeedback using the one or more processors installed in the computingdevice 105 to generate audio tones (e.g., beeps, clicks) for audiooutput on one or more speakers 135. The computing device 105 can provideaudio feedback using the one or more processors installed in thecomputing device 105 to generate spoken words for output on the one ormore speakers 135. The spoken words can be based on a selected item oraction by a user manipulating the computing device 105 while controllinga virtual artifact to select the item or action.

A user data database 140 may store information about particular userpreferences or parameters. For example, the database 140 may store anidentifier of an application that is to implement virtual artifacts andreceive input from the interface manager 150 and the one or more sensors130. For example, a music application may be set by default to implementvirtual artifacts while the user touches the tactile interface 110 byplacing their finger on the edge of the tactile interface 110.

In another example embodiment (not shown), the user data database 140may be a subset of and/or a local copy of a database residing on theserver 115. For example, all or a portion of data illustrated as beingstored in the user data database 140 may be stored in alogically-distinct user data database residing on the illustrated server115 (or another server). Then, some of the data stored on the server canbe saved, replicated, and/or transmitted to the user data database 140.

The illustrated computing device 105 also includes a power supply 170.In some embodiments, the power supply 170 may provide, for example,electrical power to one or more components of the device 105. Forexample, the power supply 170 may provide power to the sensors 130, thespeakers 135, a tactile interface engine 165, and one or more processorson the device 105. The power supply 170 may be a battery, for example asmall lightweight battery such as a paper battery or a watch battery.Alternatively the power supply 170 may be connected to a mainselectricity system.

The illustrated computing device 105 also include a tactile interfaceengine 165. The computing device 105 can use the tactile interfaceengine 165 to provide haptic feedback to the user through the tactileinterface 110. In some implementations, the tactile interface engine 165may include an actuator constructed as a sandwich of piezoceramic filmlayers with adhesive electrodes in between. The piezoceramic materialmay either shrink or expand depending on the polarity of an appliedvoltage (e.g., from the power supply 170). In other words, the layersmay be of opposite polarity so that when a voltage signal is applied,the layered structure bends. This “bending motor” configuration mayconsist of only two layers or may include more layers (of alternatingpolarities) of thin piezoceramic layers. Such bending motors experiencea relationship between the applied voltage, the layer thickness, and thedisplacement (e.g., the “bend”). This relationship may be defined, forexample, by the equations:

${D = {{\frac{a_{1}V}{T^{2}}\mspace{14mu}{and}\mspace{14mu} F} = {a_{2}{TV}}}},$whereD is the displacement, V is the applied voltage, T is the layerthickness, and a₁ and a₂ are coefficients. In some cases, maximumdisplacement may be achieved with an applied voltage of 8-10Vpeak-to-peak. In one specific example embodiment, the applied voltagemay be a maximum of about 3.7V.

The displacement generated by the tactile interface engine 165 mayproduce a tactile or haptic sensation on the tactile interface 110. Insome cases, the tactile interface 110 produces tactile sensations onlyto the touching finger, not to the hand holding the device 105 by, forexample, including a damper (e.g., a silicone barrier) between theinterface 110 and the device 105. This may allow, for example, thetactile interface 110 to be displaced by the tactile interface engine165 while cushioning the impact on the device frame.

The displacement of the tactile interface engine 165 may be small (e.g.,about 0.05 mm) while an acceleration of the displacement (i.e., how fastthe displacement is produced) may still produce sharp tactilesensations.

In some implementations, the tactile interface 110 in combination withthe tactile interface engine 165 may be operable to detect touch inputsfrom a user based on capacitive coupling between electrodes in theengine 165 and the user. For example, the tactile interface engine 165may include layers of electrode elements separated by a layer ofdielectric material. When a voltage difference is applied across theelectrode elements an effective capacitor, having a detectablecapacitance, is formed. When human contact is applied to the tactileinterface 110, the contact (e.g., the user's finger) is separated fromthe electrode elements by the layer of dielectric material. Because thehuman contact has a potential that is different to at least one of theelectrode elements, a capacitor is formed between the electrode elementand the user.

The user may thus capacitively couple with the electrode elements of thetactile interface engine 165 simultaneously, resulting in a change to avalue of the capacitance between the electrode elements. The tactileinterface 110 is operable to provide haptic feedback to the user throughthe capacitive coupling between the electrode elements and the user'sskin. The capacitive coupling may thus result in an electrical chargebeing induced in user (e.g., in the nerve endings of the user's finger).The charge induced in the user may depend on the voltage differencebetween the electrode elements in the tactile interface engine 165; ifsufficiently large, the charge may provide a tactile sensation to theuser (e.g., through transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)).In some embodiments, the user may calibrate the intensity of tactilestimulation by increasing or decreasing the voltage difference appliedto the electrode elements of the tactile interface engine 165.

The tactile feedback may provide haptic information to the user. Forexample, upon detection of human contact via the tactile interface 110,the interface 110 may be controlled by one or processors through thetactile interface engine 165 in the computing device 105 to activateelectrode layers within the area of the tactile interface 110 at whichthe input was received to provide stimulation of the nerves in the user.The user thus becomes aware that the contacting input has beenacknowledged by the computing device 105.

The haptic feedback may be localized in that only portions of electrodelayers are controlled to provide tactile stimulation, such as theportions in specific or predetermined areas of the tactile interface110. For example, as explained further below, the tactile interfaceengine 165 and tactile interface 110 may control portions of theelectrode layers of the tactile interface engine 165 to provide hapticfeedback to the user in certain portions of the tactile interface 110according to, for instance, content of one or more virtual artifactsdisplayed to the user through the tactile interface 110.

As will be appreciated, the tactile interface engine 165 is one ofseveral embodiments of an apparatus for providing tactile, or haptic,response to a user of a mobile device as described above. Otherembodiments of the tactile interface engine 165 (or other engineoperable to provide such tactile or haptic response), including thoseimplemented using other conventional techniques, are within the scope ofthe present disclosure. Thus, the example non-limiting techniques anddescriptions provided herein are but examples that fall within the scopeof this disclosure.

In other example embodiments, the tactile interface engine 165 may beimplemented as including a vibrating motor to provide tactile feedbackto the end user, for example when the end user is approaching a hotspot. The vibrating motor may include, for example, a small DC motorwhich drives a gear attached to a small weight. This weight is mountedoff-center on the gear and when the motor spins the gear/weightcombination (e.g., at 100 to 150 RPM), the off-center mounting causes astrong vibration.

In other example embodiments, heat dissipated by internal circuitry inthe computing device 105 may be channeled behind and/or on the tactileinterface 110. Such heat may, in some aspects, create regions of thetactile interface 110 with an elevated temperature to, for example,signify some particular content (e.g., selectable and/or displayable) onthe interface 110. Of course, such embodiments may be implementedconcurrently with and/or separate from embodiments including a vibratingmotor and/or layers of electrode elements described above.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate example embodiments of a computing device 105with a tactile interface 110. Turning to FIG. 2A particularly, thecomputing device 105 having the tactile interface 110 also includesseveral distinct regions of the interface 110, including a first region202, a second region 204, and a third region 206. Each of the regions202, 204, and 206 may comprise a portion of the total, viewable displayarea of the tactile interface 110. In some embodiments, each of theregions 202, 204, and 206 may be separated and/or defined according tocontent being displayed on the tactile interface 110. In some instances,for example, the content can be web content, such as web pages, images,ads, or other content. The content can be divided, for instance, intoselectable regions (e.g., hot spots) and unselectable regions (e.g.,dead spots). In some aspects, the hot spots may represent regions of thetactile interface 110 in which contact from the user may be registeredand instigate further action by the computing device 105, such as, forexample, retrieval of additional content and/or modify device settings(e.g., reduce device speaker volume, mute device speaker, modify devicebacklighting or other modification). The dead spots, in contrast, mayrepresent regions of the tactile interface 110 in which the contentbeing displayed is only viewable by the user, rather than selectable.For instance, user contact with a dead spot may not result in anyadditional action being taken by the computing device 105.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the first region 202 is separated from thethird region 206 by the second region 204. In the illustratedembodiment, the first region 202 may be a dead spot, which containsviewable, but not selectable, content. The third region 206, however,may be a hot spot, which contains selectable content, such as, forexample, a web ad or other content. The second region 204 may thus be aboundary between the first and third regions 202 and 206, respectively.In some aspects, the second region 204 may also be a dead region (e.g.,unselectable region). Thus, user contact with the second region 204 maynot select any content.

In some aspects, the tactile interface 110 and tactile interface engine165 may be operable to provide a haptic feedback to the user uponcontact with only the second region 204. For instance, by providinghaptic sensation in only the second region 204 (compared to the firstand third regions 202 and 206, respectively), the tactile interface 110may prevent the user from unintentional selections of content, such asthe content displayed in the third region 206. For instance, the tactilesensation of the second region 204 may indicate to the user theproximity of a selectable-region (i.e., hot spot) in the third region206.

In some aspects, the tactile interface 110 and tactile interface engine165 may be operable to provide a delay to any action taken when theselectable content of the third region 206 is contacted by the userbased on, for example, previous contact with the second region 204. Forinstance, when the user contacts the second region 204, the tactileinterface 110 may provide a haptic feedback within only the secondregion 204 (e.g., sensation of a raised or rough surface or othersensation) in order to warn the user that contact is approaching aselectable content (i.e., hot spot) within the third region 206. Theeffect can be similar to rumble strips on the edge of a highway lane. Asan operator of a vehicle drives the vehicle over a line marking theboundary of the lane, the tires of the vehicle travel over the rumblestrip and provide a tactile and audible feedback to the operator thatthe vehicle is traveling in a dangerous zone and is not within theboundary of the lane. The second region that surrounds the userselectable contact can provide a similar warning to the user that he/sheis crossing into a region of the touchscreen that, upon contact, willredirect him/her to different content, e.g., to a new web page. If thiswas unintended by the user, he/she can take corrective action.

In some implementations, based on the user contact with the secondregion 204, any subsequent action initiated through contact with thethird region 206 may be delayed, in order to account for a mistake bythe user in contacting the third region 206. After a predetermined timedelay, for example, contact with the third region 206 may result inaction being taken by the computing device 105 according to the contentdisplayed in the third region 206.

Turning to FIG. 2B, this figure illustrates another example embodimentof the computing device 105 with the tactile interface 110. Theembodiment of the computing device 105 in this figure also includesmultiple regions within the display of the tactile interface 110,including a first region 208, a second region 210, and a third region212. Of course, more or fewer regions may also be possible.

As illustrated, each of the three regions 208, 210, and 212 may providedistinct haptic feedback sensations to the user of the computing device105. For example, in some embodiments, each region 208, 210, and 212 mayprovide a distinct feeling of “roughness” to the user upon contact. Thedistinct roughness sensations (or other sensations) may be formed, forexample, by the tactile interface engine 165 generating distinct voltagepotentials in electrode elements within the distinct regions 208, 210,and 212, respectively.

In some embodiments, each of the regions 208, 210, and 212 may representad content returned from, for example, a search of web content performedon the computing device 105. In some aspects, as illustrated, ad contentthat is particularly relevant may be displayed in the first region 208,with web content with declining relevance displayed in the second andthird regions 210 and 212, respectively. For instance, ad content withthe most relevance to the user's search may be displayed in the firstregion 208 with a particular roughness sensation, while ad content withthe next most relevance may be displayed in the second region 210 withanother particular roughness sensation, and so on.

In some embodiments, one or more of the regions 208, 210, and 212 may bemoved within the tactile interface 110 to reveal obscured regions orother portions of the tactile interface 110. For instance, while thefirst region 208 may display the most relevant ad content (or othercontent), the user may choose to select the ad content displayed in thesecond region 210. The user may thus “drag” the first region 208 awayfrom the second region 210 in order to expose the entirety of the secondregion 210. In some aspects, the user can have a sensation of touchingand dragging the top region (i.e., the first region 208) off the lowerregions (i.e., second and third regions 210 and 212 respectively) toreveal additional content.

In some embodiments, one or more regions of displayed content, such asthe regions 208, 210, and 212, may provide haptic feedback to the userthat corresponds to the displayed content within the particular region.For instance, the haptic feedback may be substantially similar to aperceived sensation the user would experience if the user physicallycontacted the content being displayed. As one example, if the contentdisplayed in the first region 208 corresponds to an ad for a beachresort, the haptic feedback provided to the user in the first region 208may be gritty like sand. As another example, if the content displayed inthe first region 208 corresponds to an ad for a carbonated beverage, thehaptic feedback provided to the user in the first region 208 may bebubbly. As yet another example, if the content displayed in the firstregion 208 corresponds to an ad for a hand lotion, the haptic feedbackprovided to the user in the first region 208 may be liquid and/or gel.Each of the haptic sensations providing a particular perceived sensationmay be generated, for example, by the tactile interface engine 165 bymanipulating voltage potentials between the electrode elementscorresponding to the particular regions of the tactile interface 110.

Turning to FIGS. 2C-2D, another embodiment of the computing device 105having the tactile interface 110 is illustrated in a plan and side view,respectively. In the illustrated embodiment of the computing device 105with the tactile interface 110 of FIGS. 2C-2D, several regions 214, 216,and 218 on the tactile interface 110 may have different perceivedheights, or levels, above the tactile interface 110.

For example, as illustrated, content, such as ad content, may bedisplayed in the tactile interface 110 such that the content iscontained within particular regions (e.g., a first region 214, a secondregion 216, and a third region 218). The regions 214, 216, and 218 maybe displayed on top of each other (as illustrated) or adjacent to eachother but with distinct perceived heights above the tactile interface110. As illustrated in FIG. 2D, the perceived height above the tactileinterface 110 of the first region 214 is greater than the perceivedheight of the second region 216, which is greater than the perceivedheight of the third region 218. As illustrated, moreover, the displayedregions, which may each display different content, are differently sizedin area on the tactile interface 110, thereby allowing the user toaccess each of the regions 214, 216, and 218, through contact. In someaspects, a particular perceived height of a region may be tied to, forexample, the content displayed in the region. For example, if thedisplayed content of several regions (such as regions 214, 218, and 218)are ads, the advertisers may pay more money for an ad placement in aregion with a higher perceived level (such as the first region 214).Each of the different perceived height sensations may be generated, forexample, by the tactile interface engine 165 by manipulating voltagepotentials between the electrode elements corresponding to theparticular regions of the tactile interface 110.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method for using a computing device with atactile interface according to the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the method 300 may be executed on, for example, thecomputing device 105 having the tactile interface 110 and the tactileinterface engine 165 as described in FIG. 1. Method 300 may also beperformed or executed on other computing devices having tactileinterfaces operable to provide haptic feedback to a user.

Method 300 may begin at step 302, when the computing device receives arequest for a user-selectable content item to be displayed. The contentitem may be displayed, for example, on a tactile interface in one ormore regions of the interface. In some aspects, the user-selectablecontent item may be a hot spot which, when contacted by the user,initiates an action by the computing device, such as retrievingadditional content. In some instances, the content is ad content.Further, in some instances, a user-selectable-content item may bedisplayed on the tactile interface not in response to a user request,but during operation of the mobile device absent user interaction (e.g.,during viewing of some content by the user).

In step 304, the computing device presents the requested user-selectablecontent item on a portion of a tactile interface having a perceivedtexture, or haptic sensation. For example, the requested content may bedisplayed in a particular region on the tactile interface with aparticular haptic sensation feedback. The feedback, for instance, may bea predetermined sensation (e.g., rough or raised) or may correspond tothe content, as explained above. As described, above, in the instancesin which the user-selectable content item is displayed not in responseto any user request, then the computing device may present and/ordisplay user-selectable content item on a portion of the tactileinterface having a perceived texture.

In step 306, the computing device provides another portion of thetactile interface having a second perceived texture around a perimeterof the first portion. In some aspects, the perceived texture, or hapticsensation, within the first portion is different than the perceivedtexture in the portion surrounding the first portion (i.e., as shown inFIG. 2A). For instance, the perceived texture of the first portion maybe relatively smooth, i.e., with no texture beyond the normal feel ofthe tactile interface. The perceived texture of the portion surroundingthe first portion may be rough, thereby differentiating from the firstportion.

In step 308, the computing device provides a first sub-portion and asecond sub-portion in the first portion of the tactile interface withdistinct perceived textures. For example, within the display areabounded by the first portion, two or more sub-areas may be generated,each having a different perceived haptic sensation. If the firstsub-portion at least partially obscures a second sub-portion in step310, then the computing device may receive contact from the user toexpose the obscured part of the second sub-portion from the firstsub-portion in step 312. For example, as described above, the user may“drag” certain portions of the displayed content on the tactileinterface in order to expose other content. In step 314, the computingdevice may expose the obscured part of the second sub-portion from thefirst sub-portion based on the received contact from the user.

If the first sub-portion does not at least partially obscure secondsub-portion in step 310, or when the obscured part of the secondsub-portion has been exposed in step 314, then the computing device mayreceive contact from the user on one of the sub-portions to select thedisplayed content in step 316.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made. For example,additional aspects of method 300 may include more steps or fewer stepsthan those illustrated in FIG. 3. Further, the steps illustrated in FIG.3 may be performed in different successions than that shown in thefigure. Other variations in the order of steps in method 300 are alsopossible. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile electronic device, comprising: ahousing; one or more processors; memory communicably coupled to at leastone of the processors; an interactive display mounted within the housingand communicably coupled to at least one of the processors, the displayhaving display surface and a tactile interface operable to receivecontact from a user of the display, the tactile interface furtheroperable to provide a perceived first texture of the display and aperceived second texture of the display that is different from theperceived first texture of the display; and instructions stored in thememory, that when executed on at least one of the processors, cause: afirst user-selectable content item to be displayed on the display and ina first portion of the display, the first user-selectable content itemcomprising a first search result provided for display in response to asearch; a second user-selectable content item to be displayed on thedisplay and in a second portion of the display that is different fromthe first portion of the display, the second-user-selectable contentitem comprising a second search result provided for display in responseto the search, the first search result being ranked higher than thesecond search result in a search result ranking for the search; theperceived first texture to be provided by the tactile interface to atleast the first portion of the display when the user contacts the firstportion of the display, the perceived first texture providing asensation to the user that the first portion of the display is raisedfrom the display surface by a first perceived distance; and theperceived second texture to be provided by the tactile interface to atleast the second portion of the display when the user contacts thesecond portion of the display, the perceived second texture providing asensation to the user that the second portion of the display is raisedfrom the display surface by a second perceived distance different fromthe first perceived distance, wherein the first perceived distance isgreater than the second perceived distance based on the first searchresult being ranked higher than the second search result.
 2. The mobileelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause aperceived third texture to be provided by the tactile interface to atleast a third portion of the display that surrounds the first portion ofthe display when the user contacts the third portion of the display, andthe perceived third texture is different than the perceived firsttexture.
 3. The mobile electronic device of claim 2, wherein theperceived first texture is raised from the tactile interface of thedisplay as compared to the perceived third texture.
 4. The mobileelectronic device of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause anadvertisement to be displayed on the display.
 5. The mobile electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the first portion appears to at leastpartially obscure the second portion.
 6. The mobile electronic device ofclaim 5, wherein the tactile interface is further operable to receivecontact from the user to expose the obscured part of the second portionfrom the first portion.
 7. The mobile electronic device of claim 1,wherein the perceived first texture of the first portion of the displayis indicative of an expected texture of a physical object represented bythe first user-selectable content item.
 8. The mobile electronic deviceof claim 7, wherein the expected texture of the physical objectrepresented by the first user-selectable content item comprises a liquidand the perceived first texture of the first portion of the display is awetted texture.
 9. The mobile electronic device of claim 7, wherein theexpected texture of the physical object represented by the firstuser-selectable content item comprises a gas and the perceived firsttexture of the first portion of the display is a bubbly texture.
 10. Themobile electronic device of claim 7, wherein the expected texture of thephysical object represented by the first user-selectable content itemcomprises a granular material and the perceived first texture of thefirst portion of the display is a gritty texture.
 11. Acomputer-implemented method for operating a touchscreen interactivedisplay of a mobile device, the display having a display surface and atactile interface operable to receive contact from a user of the displayand operable to provide a plurality of textures to the user, andcomprising: presenting a first user-selectable content item in a firstportion of the touchscreen interactive display, the firstuser-selectable content item comprising a first search result providedfor display in response to a search; providing a perceived first textureby the tactile interface to at least the first portion of the display inresponse to the user contacting the first portion of the display, theperceived first texture providing a sensation to the user that the firstportion of the display is raised from the display surface by a firstperceived distance; presenting a second user-selectable content item ina second portion of the display that is different from the first portionof the display, the second user-selectable content item comprising asecond search result provided for display in response to the search, thefirst search result being ranked higher than the second search result ina search result ranking for the search; and providing a perceived secondtexture, different from the perceived first texture, by the tactileinterface to at least the second portion of the display in response tothe user contacting the second portion of the display, the perceivedsecond texture providing a sensation to the user that the second portionof the display is raised from the display surface by a second perceiveddistance different from the first perceived distance, wherein the firstperceived distance is greater than the second perceived distance basedon the first search result being ranked higher than the second searchresult.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receivingcontact from the user on the first user-selectable content item in thefirst portion of the tactile interface; and retrieving additionalcontent related to the first user-selectable content item based on thecontact.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receivingcontact from the user on the second portion of the tactile interface;and in response to the contact from the user on the second portion ofthe tactile interface, retrieving additional content related to thesecond user-selectable content item based on the contact.
 14. The methodof claim 11, further comprising: providing a third portion of thetactile interface having a perceived third texture that surrounds thefirst portion of the display, the perceived third texture beingdifferent from the perceived first texture.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the perceived first texture is raised from the tactile interfaceof the display as compared to the perceived third texture.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising presenting an advertisement. 17.The method of claim 11, further comprising: at least partially obscuringthe second portion with the first portion of the display.
 18. The methodof claim 17, further comprising: receiving contact from the user toexpose the obscured part of the second portion from the first portion;and exposing the obscured part of the second portion from the firstportion.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the perceived first textureof the first portion of the display is indicative of an expected textureof a physical object represented by the first user-selectable contentitem.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the expected texture of thephysical object represented by the first user-selectable content itemcomprises a liquid and the perceived first texture of the first portionof the display is a wetted texture.
 21. The method of claim 19, whereinthe expected texture of the physical object represented by the firstuser-selectable content item comprises a gas and the perceived firsttexture of the first portion of the display is a bubbly texture.
 22. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the expected texture of the physical objectrepresented by the first user-selectable content item comprises agranular material and the perceived first texture of the first portionof the display is a gritty texture.
 23. The mobile electronic device ofclaim 2, wherein the perceived third texture is raised from the tactileinterface of the display as compared to the perceived first texture andthe perceived second texture.
 24. The mobile electronic device of claim2, wherein the tactile interface is further operable to: identify a usercontact of the third portion of the display; identify a user contact ofthe first portion of the display subsequent to the user contact of thethird portion of the display; delay action in response to the usercontact of the first portion of the display for a predetermined amountof time; and in response to determining that the user contact with thefirst portion of the display has met the predetermined amount of time,request additional content related to the first user-selectable contentitem.
 25. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the tactileinterface is further operable to channel heat from internal circuitry ofthe mobile electronic device to the first portion of the display basedon the first user-selectable content.
 26. A non-transitory computerstorage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprisinginstructions that when executed by data processing apparatus, cause thedata processing apparatus to perform operations comprising: presenting afirst user-selectable content item in a first portion of a touchscreeninteractive display that has a display surface, the firstuser-selectable content item comprising a first search result providedfor display in response to a search; causing a perceived first textureto be provided by a tactile interface to at least the first portion ofthe display in response to a user contacting the first portion of thedisplay, the perceived first texture providing a sensation to the userthat the first portion of the display is raised from the display surfaceby a first perceived distance; presenting a second user-selectablecontent item in a second portion of display that is different from thefirst portion of the display, the second user-selectable content itemcomprising a second search result provided for display in response tothe search, the first search result being ranked higher than the secondsearch result in a search result ranking for the search; and causing aperceived second texture, different from the perceived first texture, tobe provided by the tactile interface to at least the second portion ofthe display in response to the user contacting the second portion of thedisplay, the perceived second texture providing a sensation to the userthat the second portion of the display is raised from the displaysurface by a second perceived distance different from the firstperceived distance, wherein the first perceived distance is greater thanthe second perceived distance based on the first search result beingranked higher than the second search result.